What is the purpose of this cartoon? What might the picture in the middle titled "Bill of Fare" represent?. What do you think the overall message of this political cartoon is? Who does the man on the left represent? How do you know?
This cartoon shows Uncle Sam being waited on by President McKinley.
The "Bill of Fare" states that the Cuba Steak, the Porto Rico (Puerto Rico) Pig, the Philippine Floating Islands, and the Sandwich (Hawaiian) Islands are on the menu.
Uncle Sam states, "Well, I hardly know which to take first!"
to show the US perspective on imperialism and intervention in foreign territories
The purpose of this cartoon is to criticize the United States' involvement in imperialism and intervention in foreign territories. The picture in the middle titled "Bill of Fare" represents the various territories or countries that the United States has acquired or intervened in, depicted as different types of food.
The overall message of this political cartoon is that the United States is greedily grabbing and consuming territories like a customer at a restaurant, without considering the consequences or thinking about what is right. The cartoon suggests that the United States is taking a colonialist approach to foreign territories for its own benefit, treating them like commodities for consumption.
The man on the left represents President McKinley, who was the President of the United States at the time. The cartoon is depicting him waiting on Uncle Sam, representing the government or people of the United States. This representation is evident from the title of the cartoon mentioning President McKinley and his presence in the cartoon itself.